SLEEPLESS
Dear Dr.Bear,
I have a question about a recent change in my 16-week old infant's sleep patterns. About 2 weeks ago my son was sleeping through the night. He slept 8 hours and for a few days he was sleeping 10 hours. Recently he has been getting up 1 to 2 times at night. Sometimes he appears to be hungry and other times he has a burp and then has difficulty falling back to sleep. Other times there seems to be no apparent reason for his waking. Here are some factors I think might be impacting his sleep. We have recently tried to move him into his crib and out of the bassinet. However, we have made the bassinet more snuggly with rolled up towels and he was able to sleep in the crib a few nights through the night. He has recently begun to eat less often - he moved from a 2 hour eating schedule to a 3 hour one. Sometimes he goes 4 hours without eating if he is taking a nap. Maybe he isn't getting as many calories during the day as he was before? We put our son in bed after he is asleep. I know we need to move to letting him fall asleep on his own, but I feel he is too young to be “ferberized” yet. I'd like to wait until he is four months before letting him cry it out. Are there any other medical/developmental factors or variables that might be operating here? How much should he be eating at this age?
Sincerely,
Frustrated Parent
Dear Frustrated Parent,
These issues are always very complicated issue, as they involve many variables. There are pluses and minuses to each change. Babies are creatures of habit and do best with fewer changes. I suggest you make an appointment to discuss the issues with your pediatrician to work on a customized strategy that suits your baby and you.
Sincerely,
Dr. Bear
